U.S. patent number 11,184,739 [Application Number 16/907,044] was granted by the patent office on 2021-11-23 for using smart occupancy detection and control in buildings to reduce disease transmission.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Honeywel International Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Honeywell International Inc.. Invention is credited to Chris Inkpen, Kelvin Towler, Armin Wellig.
United States Patent |
11,184,739 |
Wellig , et al. |
November 23, 2021 |
Using smart occupancy detection and control in buildings to reduce
disease transmission
Abstract
A signal is received from an occupancy sensor each time a person
passes through an access point corresponding to a building space,
and is identified as indicating a person either entering or exiting
the building space. An occupancy count is maintained for each of
the building spaces by incrementing the occupancy count when the
signal indicates a person entering and decrementing the occupancy
count when the signal indicates a person exiting. A determination
is made as to whether the occupancy count for any of the building
spaces of the plurality of building spaces has reached a threshold
for the corresponding building space. Action is taken in response
to determining that the occupancy count for any of the building
spaces of the plurality of building spaces has reached the
threshold for that particular building space.
Inventors: |
Wellig; Armin (Mont-sur-Rolle,
CH), Inkpen; Chris (Morris Plains, NJ), Towler;
Kelvin (Barnham, GB) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Honeywell International Inc. |
Morris Plains |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Honeywel International Inc.
(Charlotte, NC)
|
Family
ID: |
1000004958348 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/907,044 |
Filed: |
June 19, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W
4/021 (20130101); G16H 50/80 (20180101); H04W
4/33 (20180201); H04W 4/029 (20180201) |
Current International
Class: |
G16H
50/80 (20180101); H04W 4/029 (20180101); H04W
4/021 (20180101); H04W 4/33 (20180101) |
Field of
Search: |
;340/573.1 |
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|
Primary Examiner: Blount; Eric
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Seager, Tufte & Wickhem,
LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of tracking occupancy within a building, the building
including a plurality of building spaces, each building space of
the plurality of building spaces including an access point that
allows access to the building space and a sensor that provides a
signal when a person passes through the access point, the method
comprising: receiving a signal from a sensor each time a person
passes through an access point corresponding to a building space of
the plurality of building spaces of the building, the sensor
comprising a video camera having a field of view that includes at
least part of the corresponding access point; identifying the
signal as either indicating a person entering or exiting the
building space of the plurality of building spaces; maintaining an
occupancy count for each of the building spaces of the plurality of
building spaces by incrementing the occupancy count when the signal
indicates a person entering the building space and decrementing the
occupancy count when the signal indicates a person exiting the
building space; determining when the occupancy count for any of the
building spaces of the plurality of building spaces reaches a
threshold for the corresponding building space; taking action in
response to determining that the occupancy count for any of the
building spaces of the plurality of building spaces has reached the
threshold for that particular building space; and applying video
analytics to a video stream of the video camera to identify
compliance with one or more behavioral thresholds.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein taking action comprises issuing
an audio and/or visual warning that current occupancy within a
particular building space of the plurality of building spaces has
reached the threshold for that particular building space.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein taking action comprises securing
the access point for the particular building space of the plurality
of building spaces such that people are allowed to exit but are not
allowed to enter until the occupancy count for that particular
building space drops below the threshold.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein taking action comprises
increasing an air ventilation rate for the particular building
space of the plurality of building spaces.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor associated with the
access point of at least one of the building spaces of the
plurality of building spaces comprises a smart floor sensor
embedded in a floor covering.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor associated with the
access point of at least one of the building spaces of the
plurality of building spaces comprises a passive infrared (PIR)
sensor or a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor associated with the
access point of at least one of the building spaces of the
plurality of building spaces comprises an RFID card reader that can
read an access card carried by a person without requiring the
person to physically scan the access card to provide frictionless
access through the corresponding access point.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal indicating either a
person entering or exiting the building space of the plurality of
building spaces is based at least in part on video analytics
applied to the video stream of the video camera.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the video analytics include
biometric identification.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more behavioral
thresholds include one or more of a social distancing compliance
threshold, a hand hygiene compliance threshold and a PPE compliance
threshold.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the access point comprises one
of a building entry, an emergency exit, a door or hall to a room or
zone, an elevator, and a stair case.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the access
points further comprises a health screening sensor for performing a
health screen of a person passing through the access point, wherein
the health screening sensor comprises one or more or a video
camera, a thermal camera and a microphone.
13. A system for disinfecting a space within a building, the
building including a plurality of building spaces, the system
comprising: a plurality of visible light sources distributed
throughout each of at least some of the plurality of building
spaces of the building, wherein each of the plurality of visible
light sources is associated with a corresponding occupancy sensor,
wherein when occupancy is detected, the corresponding light is
turned on, and when occupancy is not detected, the corresponding
light is turned off; a plurality of UV light sources distributed
throughout each of at least some of the plurality of building
spaces of the building, wherein when activated, the plurality of UV
light sources disinfecting at least some surfaces in a
corresponding building space; a controller operatively coupled to
at least some of the occupancy sensors and the plurality of UV
light sources, the controller configured to: monitor the occupancy
sensors to determine when one or more of the plurality of building
spaces of the building are unoccupied; activating one or more of
the UV light sources in one or more of the plurality of building
spaces of the building that are determined to be unoccupied; and
monitor the occupancy sensors to determine if one or more of the
plurality of building spaces of the building where the one or more
of the UV light sources were activated become re-occupied, and if
so, deactivating the corresponding UV light sources.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more UV light
sources are activated for a predetermined period of time.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller further
determines when one or more of the plurality of building spaces of
the building are unoccupied and are expected to remain unoccupied
for at least a predetermined period of time based at least in part
on a historical occupancy pattern.
16. A method of tracking occupancy within a building, the building
including a plurality of building spaces, each building space of
the plurality of building spaces including an access point that
allows access to the building space and a sensor that provides a
signal when a person passes through the access point, at least one
access points including a health screening sensor, the method
comprising: receiving a signal from a sensor each time a person
passes through an access point corresponding to a building space of
the plurality of building spaces of the building; identifying the
signal as either indicating a person entering or exiting the
building space of the plurality of building spaces; maintaining an
occupancy count for each of the building spaces of the plurality of
building spaces by incrementing the occupancy count when the signal
indicates a person entering the building space and decrementing the
occupancy count when the signal indicates a person exiting the
building space; determining when the occupancy count for any of the
building spaces of the plurality of building spaces reaches a
threshold for the corresponding building space; and taking action
in response to determining that the occupancy count for any of the
building spaces of the plurality of building spaces has reached the
threshold for that particular building space; and performing a
health screen of a person passing through the access point.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the health screening sensor
comprises one or more of a video camera, a thermal camera and a
microphone.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising raising an alarm if
a person fails the health screen as they pass through the access
point.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein performing a health screen
comprises applying video analytics to perform the health screen.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates generally to facility management
systems, and more particularly to systems and methods for reducing
risk of disease spread among occupants of a building.
BACKGROUND
Infectious diseases can spread through person to person contact,
touching of contaminated surfaces, exposure to air borne pathogens,
as well as other transmission mechanisms. What would be desirable
are systems and methods to help limit the spread of a disease among
occupants of a building.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for
reducing risk of disease spread among occupants of a building. In
one example, a method includes tracking occupancy within a building
that includes a plurality of building spaces, with each building
space including an access point that allows access to the building
space. Each building space includes one or more sensors that
provide a signal when a person passes through the access point to
the building space. A signal is received from a sensor each time a
person passes through an access point corresponding to a building
space of the plurality of building spaces of the building. The
signal is identified as either indicating a person entering or
exiting the building space of the plurality of building spaces. An
occupancy count is maintained for each of the building spaces of
the plurality of building spaces by incrementing the occupancy
count when the signal indicates a person entering the building
space and decrementing the occupancy count when the signal
indicates a person exiting the building space. A determination is
made as to whether the occupancy count for any of the building
spaces of the plurality of building spaces has reached a threshold
for the corresponding building space. Action is taken in response
to determining that the occupancy count for any of the building
spaces of the plurality of building spaces has reached the
threshold for that particular building space.
In some cases the access point may function as a virtual fence or
gate. The virtual fence may allow the system to maintain an
accurate count of the occupants that are currently in the space
without having to outfit sensors throughout the space. The lack of
sensors throughout the space may also help increase the privacy of
the occupants while in the space.
In another example, a system tracks occupancy within a building
having a plurality of building spaces. The system includes a
plurality of visible light sources distributed throughout each of
at least some of the plurality of building spaces of the building,
wherein each of the plurality of visible light sources is
associated with (or has) a corresponding occupancy sensor, wherein
when occupancy is detected, the corresponding visible light source
is turned on, and when occupancy is not detected, the corresponding
visible light source is turned off. A controller is operatively
coupled to at least some of the occupancy sensors and is configured
to monitor the occupancy sensors to infer an occupancy distribution
in each of the at least some of the plurality of building spaces of
the building. The controller is configured to compare the occupancy
distribution in each of the at least some of the plurality of
building spaces of the building with a corresponding occupancy
distribution threshold and take action in response to determining
that the occupancy distribution in one or more of the at least some
of the plurality of building spaces of the building exceeds the
corresponding occupancy distribution threshold.
In another example, a system disinfects a space within a building
that includes a plurality of building spaces. The system includes a
plurality of visible light sources distributed throughout each of
at least some of the plurality of building spaces of the building,
wherein each of the plurality of visible light sources is
associated with a corresponding occupancy sensor, wherein when
occupancy is detected, the corresponding light is turned on, and
when occupancy is not detected, the corresponding light is turned
off. A plurality of disinfecting UV light sources are distributed
throughout each of at least some of the plurality of building
spaces of the building, wherein when activated, the plurality of UV
light sources disinfect at least some surfaces in a corresponding
building space. A controller is operatively coupled to at least
some of the occupancy sensors and the plurality of UV light
sources. The controller is configured to monitor the occupancy
sensors to determine when one or more of the plurality of building
spaces of the building are unoccupied, activate one or more of the
UV light sources in one or more of the plurality of building spaces
of the building that are determined to be unoccupied, and monitor
the occupancy sensors to determine if one or more of the plurality
of building spaces of the building where the one or more of the UV
light sources were activated become re-occupied, and if so,
deactivating the corresponding UV light sources.
The preceding summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of
some of the innovative features unique to the present disclosure
and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation
of the disclosure can be gained by taking the entire specification,
claims, figures, and abstract as a whole.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
The disclosure may be more completely understood in consideration
of the following description of various examples in connection with
the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system;
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system;
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system;
FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system;
FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system;
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative method that may be
carried out via the illustrative building management systems of
FIGS. 1 through 5;
FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative method that may be
carried out via the illustrative building management systems of
FIGS. 1 through 5; and
FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating relationships
between sensing and corresponding actions.
While the disclosure is amenable to various modifications and
alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of
example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should
be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the
disclosure to the particular examples described. On the contrary,
the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and
alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the
disclosure.
DESCRIPTION
The following description should be read with reference to the
drawings, in which like elements in different drawings are numbered
in like fashion. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale,
depict examples that are not intended to limit the scope of the
disclosure. Although examples are illustrated for the various
elements, those skilled in the art will recognize that many of the
examples provided have suitable alternatives that may be
utilized.
All numbers are herein assumed to be modified by the term "about",
unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The recitation of
numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers subsumed within
that range (e.g., 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and
5).
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular
forms "a", "an", and "the" include the plural referents unless the
content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification
and the appended claims, the term "or" is generally employed in its
sense including "and/or" unless the content clearly dictates
otherwise.
It is noted that references in the specification to "an
embodiment", "some embodiments", "other embodiments", etc.,
indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not
necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or
characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily
referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection
with an embodiment, it is contemplated that the feature, structure,
or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it
is contemplated that the feature, structure, or characteristic may
be applied to other embodiments whether or not explicitly described
unless clearly stated to the contrary.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system 10. The illustrative building management system
10 is installed in a building 12 and may be considered as being
configured to reduce the risk of pathogenic exposure within the
building 12. The building 12 includes a number of building spaces
14 that are individually labeled as 14a, 14b, 14c. It will be
appreciated that this is merely illustrative, as the building 12
will typically include a much greater number of building spaces 14
or zones. At least some of the building spaces 14 may periodically
have one or more people within the building space 14. In some
cases, the building 12 may be a hotel, and thus the building spaces
14 may be individually rentable guest rooms. The building 12 may be
an office building, or a portion of an office building, and thus
the building spaces 14 may be individual offices or work spaces. In
some case, the disclosure may be applied to a cruise ship.
Each of the building spaces 14 includes one or more occupancy
sensors 16, although only one occupancy sensor 16 is shown in each
of the building spaces 14. The occupancy sensors 16 are
individually labeled as 16a, 16b, 16c. At least some of the
occupancy sensors 16 may be PIR sensors, mmWave sensors, motion
sensors and/or microphones, for example. Some of the occupancy
sensors 16 may be part of a security system of the building 12, for
example. In some cases, some of the occupancy sensors 16 may be
video cameras that are coupled with video analytics to detect the
presence of one or more people, and hence determine occupancy.
Occupancy detection may include detecting the presence of people,
including counting people. Occupancy detection may also include
behavioral indicators such as hand washing, signs of illness such
as fever and coughing, spacing between people and the like.
Each of the building spaces 14 also include one or more
environmental sensors 18, although only one environmental sensor 18
is shown in each of the building spaces 14. The environmental
sensors 18 are individually labeled as 18a, 18b, 18c. The
environmental sensors 18 may, for example, be sensors such as
temperature sensors, humidity sensors, visible light sensors, UV
sensors, particulate matter sensors (e.g. PM2.5, PM10), VOC
sensors, airborne and waterborne pathogen sensors, CO sensors, CO2
sensors, ozone sensors, and/or any other environmental suitable
sensor. In some cases, some of the environmental sensors 18 may be
considered as being Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) sensors. In some
cases, one or more of the environmental sensors 18 may be disposed
within a room thermostat within at least some of the building
spaces 14.
In some cases, sensing environmental parameters may include sensing
air pressure in general, and air pressure differentials across the
building 12 in particular. It has been found that air pressure
differentials can provide a general indication of air flow through
the building 12. Air fill flow from an area of higher pressure to
an area of lower pressure, for example. Measuring air pressure
differentials can also provide an indication of how opening and
closing windows and doors can influence air flow through the
building 12, for example. Measuring air pressure differentials can
also provide an indication of the impact of turning ventilation on
or off, or turning ventilation rates up and down, among other HVAC
capabilities. In some cases, controlled air flow is one of the key
techniques highlighted by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers) to control airborne
pathogen transmission.
If a building space 14 is in a hospital operating room, for
example, there is a desire to maintain an air pressure within the
operating room that is higher than the air pressure in neighboring
spaces. This can help to limit airborne pathogens from entering the
operating room, as any air movement will tend to be from inside the
operating room to outside of the operating room. If a building
space 14 is not occupied, there may be a desire to reduce air flow
in the duct(s) that provide conditioned air to the building space
14 in order to increase an amount of time that any airborne
pathogens are exposed to UV light during a sanitizing process.
These are just examples.
Each of the building spaces 14 includes one or more controllable
building components 20, although only one controllable building
component 20 is shown in each of the building spaces 14. Each of
the controllable building components 20 may be considered as being
configured to control environmental conditions within the building
spaces 14 in order to reduce the likelihood of disease transmission
among occupants of the building 12. At least some of the
controllable building components 20 may include heating,
ventilating and air conditioning system (HVAC) components such as
heating sources, cooling sources, ventilation sources, humidifiers
and dehumidifiers, as examples. At least some of the controllable
building components 20 may include a disinfecting component.
Examples of disinfecting components include sources of UV light
that may be used to sanitize surfaces within the building space 14.
UV light sources may also be used to disinfect components of an
HVAC system, such as but not limited to disinfecting filters within
the HVAC system. This may include cleaning filter media as well as
electrostatic filters.
The UV light spectrum ranges from about 100 nanometers (nm) to
about 400 nm. The UV light spectrum includes UV-A, which ranges
from 315 nm to 400 nm. This UV light spectrum also includes UV-B,
which ranges from 280 nm to 315 nm. UV-C, which ranges from 200 nm
to 280 nm, is particularly effective for disinfecting. There is
also Far-UVC, which ranges from 207 nm to 222 nm and thus is a
subset of the UV-C light spectrum. Far-UVC is also particularly
effective for disinfecting, and is believed to be safe for human
skin and eyes. The UV light spectrum also includes VUV Far-UV,
which ranges from 100 nm to 200 nm. In some cases, at least some of
the controllable building components 20 may include a source of
UV-C light that is configured to provide UV-C light for a period of
time sufficient to disinfect surfaces within the building space 14.
For example, it may take a period of time, such as 5 minutes, 10
minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours or more, depending on
a number of factors such as the intensity of the UV-C light source
and the distance between the UV-C light source and the surfaces to
be sanitized.
In the example shown, each of the occupancy sensors 16, each of the
environmental sensors 18 and each of the controllable building
components 20 are operably coupled with a building network 22. A
controller 24 is operably coupled with the building network 22 such
that the controller 24 is able to receive occupancy data from the
occupancy sensors 16 and indoor air quality data from the
environmental sensors 18. Accordingly, each of the one or more
occupancy sensors 16 may be considered as providing occupancy
signals over the building network 22. Similarly, each of the one or
more environmental sensors 18 may be considered as providing air
quality parameter signals over the building network 22. In some
cases, the one or more environmental sensors 18 may provide a
measurement of carbon dioxide concentration as a basic occupancy
indicator. It will be appreciated that carbon dioxide concentration
will increase as additional people are present within the building
space 14, and will decrease as people leave the building space
14.
The controller 24 is also able to provide control signals to the
controllable building components 20 via the building network 22. It
is contemplated that the building network 22 may be a wired
network, a wireless network or a combination of wired and wireless.
It will be appreciated that while the controller 24 is shown as
being located inside of the building 12, this is not required in
all cases. In some instances, the controller 24 may itself be
manifested within one or more computing devices that may be local
to the building 12 or may be remote from the building 12. In some
case, all or part of the controller 24 may be manifested within a
cloud-based server.
In some instances, the controller 24 is configured to receive
occupancy signals from the one or more occupancy sensors 16 over
the building network 22 and to receive indoor air quality parameter
signals from the one or more environmental sensors 18 over the
building network 22. The controller 24 is configured to process the
received occupancy signals and the received indoor air quality
parameter signals (sometimes in combination) to determine whether
action is needed to improve one or more environmental conditions
within at least some of the plurality of building spaces 14 in
order to reduce the likelihood of disease transmission among
occupants of the building 12. Responsive to determining that action
is needed, the controller 24 is configured to send control signals
to one or more of controllable building components over the
building network to improve one or more environmental conditions
within at least some of the plurality of building spaces to reduce
the likelihood of disease transmission among occupants of the
building.
In some instances, the controller 24 is configured to process one
or more of the received occupancy signals to identify a measure of
compliance of one or more of the occupants of the building 12 with
one or more predefined behavioral standards. In some cases, the
occupancy signals may include locating sensors that can report a
location of the one or more occupants of the building. The locating
sensors may include, for example, Bluetooth or WiFi beacons that
can be used to track an occupants phone's location in the building.
It is contemplated that the locating sensor may be any locating
sensor or system that is can identify a location of the one or more
occupants in the building. In some cases, the occupancy signals may
include video signals from a video camera or signals from an indoor
radar sensor (e.g. mmWave sensor) that can be used to identify
compliance of one or more of the occupants of the building 12 with
one or more predefined behavioral standards. These are just
examples.
One example of a predefined behavioral standard includes a social
distancing standard. In some instances, maintaining a minimum
distance between people may help prevent the transmission of
disease. Social distancing can help reduce or limit the spread of
disease from both symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers. The social
distancing standard may be set to a particular physical distance
that individuals should strive to maintain between themselves and
other individuals, and may be determined at least in part upon the
particular environment. People produce aerosols when talking,
breathing, coughing and the like. If people stay far enough apart,
these aerosols are able to drop out of the air before they reach
another person who could inhale the aerosol and become infected.
Relative humidity can impact how far an aerosol can travel. As an
example, a social distancing standard may be set equal to 6 feet,
or 12 feet.
Another example of a predefined behavioral standard includes a
maximum people per building space standard. This may be equivalent
to the maximum capacity for a particular building space 14, such as
dictated by fire code. The maximum people per building space
standard may dictate a reduced maximum capacity, particularly
during times in which a particular pathogen is believed to be
active. For example, the maximum people per building space standard
during times in which pathogens are active may be set equal to
fifty percent of the maximum occupancy dictated by fire code. The
maximum people per building space standard may be set equal to
twenty five percent the maximum occupancy dictated by fire code.
These are just examples, as these numbers may vary depending on the
communicability of a particular pathogen, the susceptibility of the
people within the building 12 to the particular pathogen, and the
like.
As another example, a predefined behavioral standard may include a
hygiene standard. Examples of hygiene standards include whether
individuals are wearing masks, particularly if the people are
inside the building 12 and are not always complying with social
distancing standards. Hygiene standards may also dictate whether a
mask is required based upon how long two people may be in proximity
to each other, as length of exposure can influence the degree or
likelihood of pathogen transmission. The longer a person is exposed
to a carrier, for example, the more of the pathogen that the person
will have likely been exposed to and thus may now possess. Another
example of a hygiene standard involves hand washing. This may be as
simple as requiring that people wash their hands after using the
bathroom. This may also include requiring people to wash their
hands each time they move from one space to another space, or are
about to eat or drink something, for example. Hand washing
standards may specify a duration of time that hand washing is
expected to last in order to be effective. For example, a hand
washing time of twenty seconds is contemplated. Hygiene standards
may also include specifying whether people are wearing gloves, as
well as details regarding when, where and how the person is
expected to wear gloves. A predefined behavioral standard may
include ascertaining compliance with hygiene standards such as but
not limited to wearing gloves, wearing masks, and hand washing.
In some instances, a predefined behavioral standard may include a
symptoms standard. Depending on a suspected pathogen or a resulting
disease, it will be appreciated that symptomatic individuals with
the suspected pathogen or disease may have any of a variety of
different symptoms. For example, various respiratory diseases may
have symptoms that include coughing and/or sneezing. An elevated
body temperature, better known as a fever, is also a common disease
symptom as in many cases, the elevated body temperature is the
result of the person's immune system trying to fight off the
pathogen.
In some instances, a predefined behavioral standard may include a
cleaning standard that is associated with a cleaning crew. This may
include, for example, whether the correct area gets cleaned when
that area is supposed to get cleaned. This may include whether the
actual duration of the cleaning process meets or exceeds a cleaning
time standard for that particular building space, for that
particular cleaning crew and the like. Cleaning standards may also
refer to automated cleaning and disinfecting processes, such as but
not limited to an expected duration for exposing a surface or
surfaces to UV-C light, for example. A disinfecting process may be
set to last a particular length of time, but can be interrupted if
a door is opened prematurely, for example. In some instances, the
sensing controls may be integrated into a workflow application in
order to provide a cleaning score or map that provides real-time
insights to the cleaning staff. This may facilitate the cleaning
staff being able to identify and take care of any missed spots, for
example.
The controller 24 may be configured to process one or more of the
received occupancy signals to identify a measure of a total number
of occupants within one or more of the plurality of building spaces
14 of the building 12, and may use the measure of the total number
of occupants within one or more of the plurality of building spaces
14 of the building 12 to determine whether action is needed. In
some cases, the controller 24 may be configured to determine when
action is needed by one or more persons to improve one or more
environmental conditions within at least some of the plurality of
building spaces 14 to reduce the likelihood of disease transmission
among occupants of the building 12, and provide a notification. In
some cases, the controller 24 may be configured to track occupancy
over time, and thus may be able to learn when particular building
spaces 14 are expected to remain empty.
In some instances, the controller 24 may be configured to determine
that action is needed to maintain the indoor air quality when one
or more indoor air quality parameters exceed a threshold for the
corresponding one or more indoor air quality parameters, and in
response, the controller 24 may be configured to output appropriate
control signals requesting, for example, an increase in fresh air
to the building space 14, an increase or decrease in a temperature
and/or humidity level, and/or any other suitable change to the
environment.
In some cases, the controller 24 may be configured to determine
that action is needed to maintain the indoor air quality when one
or more of the building spaces 14 have an indicated occupancy that
is above a first occupancy threshold, and in response, the
controller 24 may be configured to output appropriate control
signals requesting, for example, an increase in fresh air to the
building space 14, an increase or decrease in a temperature and/or
humidity level, and/or any other suitable change to the
environment. The controller 24 may be configured to determine that
action is needed to maintain the indoor air quality when one or
more of the building spaces 14 have an indicated occupancy that is
at a second occupancy threshold, and in response, the controller 24
may be configured to output appropriate control signals indicating
that no additional people are permitted in the one or more building
spaces. The control signals may include instructions for an audio
and/or visual warning that occupancy has reached the second
threshold, and/or instructions to lock one or more doors in order
to prevent additional people from entering the one or more building
spaces.
In some instances, the controller 24 may be configured to process
one or more of the received indoor air quality parameter signals to
identify a measure of compliance with one or more air quality
standards. Examples air quality standards include a relative
humidity standard and a temperature standard. Other examples of air
quality standards include a carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) standard, a
carbon monoxide (CO) standard, a Particulate Matter (PM) standard,
a pathogen concentration standard, a Volatile Organic Compound
(VOC) standard, a H2CO standard.
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system 30. The illustrative building management system
30 is shown as being installed in the building 12 and may be
considered as being configured to reduce the risk of pathogenic
exposure within the building 12. The building 12 includes a number
of building spaces 32 that are individually labeled as 32a, 32ab,
32c. It will be appreciated that this is merely illustrative, as
the building 12 will typically include a much greater number of
building spaces 32 or zones. At least some of the building spaces
32 may periodically have one or more people within the building
space 32. In some cases, at least some of the building spaces 32
may be considered as being examples of the building spaces 14. At
least some of the building spaces 32 may include features ascribed
to the building spaces 14. At least some of the building spaces 14
may include features ascribed to the building spaces 32.
In addition to the occupancy sensors 16, each of the building
spaces 32 include one or more sanitizers 34, although only one
sanitizer 34 is shown in each of the building spaces 32. The
sanitizers are individually labeled as 34a, 34b, 34c. In some
cases, the sanitizers 34 may each be sources of UV-C light. The
sanitizers 34 may be considered as being positioned to sanitize
surfaces within a corresponding building space 32. Disinfecting
with other processes such as plasma and ionization is also
contemplated. Each of the one or more occupancy sensors 16 may be
considered as being positioned to detect occupancy within each of
the plurality of building spaces 32, and may be considered as being
operably connected to the building network 22. The controller 24 is
configured to receive occupancy signals from the one or more
occupancy sensors 16 and to process the occupancy signals to
determine whether a particular building space 32 is due to be
sanitized and is currently available to be sanitized. In some
cases, determining whether the particular building space 32 is due
to be sanitized is based at least in part upon how long it has been
since that particular building space 32 was last sanitized and/or
how many people have been in that particular building space 32
since it was last sanitized. In response to determining that the
particular building space 32 is due to be sanitized and is
currently available to be sanitized, the controller 24 outputs
appropriate control signals to one or more of the one or more
sanitizers 34 to proceed with sanitizing the particular building
space 32.
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system 40. The illustrative building management system
40 is shown as being installed in the building 12 and may be
considered as being configured to disinfect spaces within the
building 12. The building 12 includes a number of building spaces
42 that are individually labeled as 42a, 42ab, 42c. It will be
appreciated that this is merely illustrative, as the building 12
will typically include a much greater number of building spaces 42
or zones. At least some of the building spaces 42 may periodically
have one or more people within the building space 42. In some
cases, at least some of the building spaces 42 may be considered as
including features ascribed to the building spaces 14 and/or the
building spaces 32. At least some of the building spaces 14 and 32
may include features ascribed to the building spaces 42.
In addition to the occupancy sensors 16, each of the building
spaces 42 include one or more visible light sources 44, although
only one visible light source 44 is shown in each of the building
spaces 42. The visible light sources 44 are individually labeled as
44a, 44b, 44c. The visible light sources 44 may be considered as
being distributed throughout each of at least some of the plurality
of building spaces 42 of the building 12, wherein each of the
plurality of visible light sources 44 is associated with a
corresponding occupancy sensor 16, wherein when occupancy is
detected, the corresponding visible light source 44 is turned on,
and when occupancy is not detected, the corresponding visible light
source 44 is turned off. In some instances, some of the occupancy
sensors 16 may be integrated into a corresponding visible light
source 44.
In some instances, the controller 24 may be configured to monitor
the occupancy sensors 16 to infer an occupancy distribution in each
of the at least some of the plurality of building spaces 42 of the
building 12 and to compare the occupancy distribution in each of
the at least some of the plurality of building spaces 42 of the
building 12 with a corresponding occupancy distribution threshold.
The controller 24 may be configured to take action in response to
determining that the occupancy distribution in one or more of the
at least some of the plurality of building spaces 42 of the
building 12 exceeds the corresponding occupancy distribution
threshold. Taking action may, for example, include providing an
audio and/or visual warning that the occupancy distribution in one
or more of the at least some of the plurality of building spaces 42
of the building 12 exceeds the corresponding occupancy distribution
threshold. This is just an example. In some cases, the occupancy
distribution threshold of one of the plurality of building spaces
42 may be different from the occupancy distribution threshold of
another one of the plurality of building spaces 42.
FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system 50. The illustrative building management system
50 is shown as being installed in the building 12 and may be
considered as being configured to disinfect spaces within the
building 12. The building 12 includes a number of building spaces
52 that are individually labeled as 52a, 52ab, 52c. It will be
appreciated that this is merely illustrative, as the building 12
will typically include a much greater number of building spaces 52
or zones. At least some of the building spaces 52 may periodically
have one or more people within the building space 52. In some
cases, at least some of the building spaces 52 may be considered as
including features ascribed to the building spaces 14 and/or the
building spaces 32 and/or the building spaces 42. At least some of
the building spaces 14, 32 and 42 may include features ascribed to
the building spaces 52.
In addition to the visible light sources 44 and the occupancy
sensors 16, each of the building spaces 52 includes one or more UV
light sources 54, although only one UV light source 54 is shown
within each of the building spaces 52. The UV light sources 54 may
be UV-C light sources, for example. The UV light sources 54 are
individually labeled as 54a, 54b, 54c. Each of the visible light
sources 44 are associated with a corresponding occupancy sensor 16
such that when occupancy is detected (by a particular occupancy
sensor 16) the corresponding visible light source 44 is turned on,
and when occupancy is not detected, the corresponding visible light
source 44 is turned off.
The controller 24 is operably coupled to at least some of the
occupancy sensors 16 and the plurality of UV light sources 54. In
some instances, the controller 24 is configured to monitor the
occupancy sensors 16 to determine when one or more of the plurality
of building spaces 52 of the building 12 are unoccupied. The
controller 24 may activate one or more of the UV light sources 54
in one or more of the plurality of building spaces 52 of the
building 12 that are determined to be unoccupied. In some
instances, the controller 24 may further determine when one or more
of the plurality of building spaces 52 of the building 12 are
unoccupied and are expected to remain unoccupied for at least a
predetermined period of time based at least in part on a historical
occupancy pattern.
In some cases, the controller 24 may activate the one or more UV
light sources 54 for a predetermined period of time. The
predetermined period of time may be user-adjustable, for example,
by building management for the building 12. The predetermined
period of time may be set when the system 50 is initially
configured. The controller 24 may monitor the occupancy sensors 16
to determine if one or more of the plurality of building spaces 52
of the building 12 where the one or more of the UV light sources 54
were activated become re-occupied, and if so, deactivating the
corresponding UV light sources 54. This can help prevent an
individual walking into the building space 52 from being exposed to
possibly damaging UV light. In some instances, the building space
52 may include a UVC sensor (not shown) that provides additional
feedback to the controller 24 that an active UV light source is
present, such that the controller 24 can provide a warning that the
UV light source is active, and that the controller 24 can shut off
the UV light source if occupancy is detected. In some cases, a
signal from the UVC sensor can be taken into account when tracking
disinfection statistics including how frequently and/or the
duration of disinfecting processes.
FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative building
management system 60. The illustrative building management system
60 is shown as being installed within the building 12. The building
12 includes a number of building spaces 62 that are individually
labeled as 62a, 62ab through 62n. At least some of the building
spaces 62 may periodically have one or more people within the
building space 62. In some cases, at least some of the building
spaces 62 may be considered as including features ascribed to the
building spaces 14 and/or the building spaces 32 and/or the
building spaces 42 and/or the building spaces 52. At least some of
the building spaces 14, 32, 42 and 52 may include features ascribed
to the building spaces 62.
Each building space 62 includes at least one access point 64,
although only one access point 64 is shown within each of the
building spaces 62. The access points 64 are individually labeled
as 64a, 64b through 64n. In some cases, a building space 62 may
have more than one access point 64. In simplest terms, the access
point 64 may be a physical or virtual door that allows people to
enter and/or exit the building space 62. In some cases, the
physical or virtual door can be closed to prevent additional people
from passing through the access point 64 and entering the building
space 62. An access point 64 may be a designated region of a
hallway, elevator, lobby or the like, that can be considered as
providing access to a particular building space 62.
Each building space 62 includes at least one sensor 66, although
only one sensor 66 is shown in each of the building spaces 62. The
sensors 66 are individually labeled as 66a, 66b through 66n. In
some cases, there may be one sensor 66 that is associated with each
of the access points 64. The sensors 66 may be configured to output
a signal that indicates that someone has passed through an access
point 66, either entering the building space 62 or exiting the
building space 62. In some cases, at least some of the sensors 66
may include smart floor sensors that a person walks across. As the
person walks across the smart floor sensor, a pressure signal is
outputted that can indicate a direction of travel (i.e., into the
building space 62 or out of the building space 62). The pressure
signal may, for example, enable analysis that yields a shape or
transient characteristics of a pressure input made by the person's
foot, and thus a direction of travel can be determined. The smart
floor sensor(s) can be embedded in a floor covering, such as but
not limited to an area rug or mat. Thus, they can easily be used in
a hallway to define an access point 64 (and corresponding sensor
66). In some cases, the smart floor sensor is large enough that a
person passing through the access point 64 has to take multiple
steps crossing the smart floor sensor. As a result, the direction
of their travel is easily determined.
In some cases, at least some of the sensors 66 may include passive
infrared (PIR) sensors. By placing two or more PIR sensors in the
building space 62, it is possible to determine a direction of
travel for a person passing through the access point 64. In some
instances, at least some of the sensors 66 may include augmented
PIR sensors that are configured to provide output signals that can
indicate one or more of direction, distance and speed of a person
traveling through the access point 64. In some cases, a building
space 62 may include both a smart floor sensor and a PIR sensor as
the sensors 66, such that a signal from one of the sensors 66 may
be used as a check or confirmation of a signal from the other of
the sensors 66. In some cases, at least some of the sensors 66 may
include RFID card readers that can read an access card carried by a
person without requiring the person to physically scan the access
card. One or more of the sensors 66 may include a time of flight
sensor that is based on a laser bean interruption, or a video
camera. These are just some examples. With these and other types of
sensors, the occupants can be granted frictionless access to a
particular building space 62.
In some cases, Time of Flight (ToF) may be implemented as a
technology that can count people moving through the access point
64. ToF can provide accurate people counting at low to medium
traffic density, such as may occur when several people walk into a
room at around the same time. ToF involves creating a pair of
sensor zones, such as a front zone and a back zone. A person is
detected as they cross through both the front zone and the back
zone. In some instances, the sensors used for ToF measurements may
be placed behind an optically opaque polymer panel. This can mean
that ToF can be implemented unobtrusively, without people realizing
that they are walking past a sensor, or even realizing that they
are being counted.
In some instances, the controller 24 maintains a counter 68 for
each of the access points 64. The controller 24 may include a
counter 68a that corresponds to the sensor 66a, a counter 68b that
corresponds to the sensor 66b, all the way through a counter 68n
that corresponds to the sensor 66n. The appropriate counter 68 may
be incremented in response to the controller 24 receiving an
indication from a particular sensor 66 that a person has entered
the particular building space 62 through that access point 64 and
may be decremented in response to the controller 24 receiving an
indication from a particular sensor 66 that a person has exited the
particular building space 62 through that access point 64.
Once a particular counter 68 has reached a particular threshold,
the controller 24 may take appropriate action. In some cases,
taking action in response to the counter 68 reaching a threshold
may include issuing an audio and/or visual warning that current
occupancy within a particular building space 62 has reached the
threshold for that particular building space 62. Taking action may,
for example, include securing the access point 66 for the
particular building space 62 such that people are allowed to exit
the building space 62 but are not allowed to enter the building
space 62 until the occupancy counter 68 for that particular
building space 62 drops below the threshold. In some cases, taking
action may include increasing an air ventilation rate for that
building space 62.
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative method 70 for
tracking occupancy within a building that includes a plurality of
building spaces, with each building space including an access point
that allows access to the building space and a sensor that provides
a signal when a person passes through the access point. A signal is
received from a sensor each time a person passes through an access
point corresponding to a building space of the plurality of
building spaces of the building, as indicated at block 72. The
signal is identified as either indicating a person entering or
exiting the building space of the plurality of building spaces, as
indicated at block 74. An occupancy count is maintained for each of
the building spaces of the plurality of building spaces by
incrementing the occupancy count when the signal indicates a person
entering the building space and decrementing the occupancy count
when the signal indicates a person exiting the building space, as
indicated at block 76. A determination may be made that the
occupancy count for any of the building spaces of the plurality of
building spaces has reached a threshold for the corresponding
building space, as indicated at block 80.
In response to determining that the occupancy count for any of the
building spaces of the plurality of building spaces has reached the
threshold for that particular building space, action is taken, as
indicated at block 80. Taking action may, for example, include
issuing an audio and/or visual warning that current occupancy
within a particular building space of the plurality of building
spaces has reached the threshold for that particular building
space. In some instances, taking action includes securing the
access point for the particular building space of the plurality of
building spaces such that people are allowed to exit but are not
allowed to enter until the occupancy count for that particular
building space drops below the threshold. Taking action can
additionally or alternatively include increasing an air ventilation
rate for the particular building space of the plurality of building
spaces.
In some cases, the sensor associated with the access point of at
least one of the building spaces of the plurality of building
spaces may include a smart floor sensor embedded in a floor
covering. The sensor associated with the access point of at least
one of the building spaces of the plurality of building spaces may
include a passive infrared (PIR) sensor. The sensor associated with
the access point of at least one of the building spaces of the
plurality of building spaces may include an RFID card reader that
can read an access card carried by a person without requiring the
person to physically scan the access card to provide frictionless
access through the corresponding access point.
The sensor associated with the access point of at least one of the
building spaces of the plurality of building spaces may include a
video camera having a field of view that includes at least part of
the corresponding access point, wherein video analytics are applied
to identify the signal from the video camera as either indicating a
person entering or exiting the building space of the plurality of
building spaces. The video analytics may include identifying
biometric identification. The video analytics may include
identifying compliance with one or more behavioral thresholds such
as but not limited to one or more of a social distancing compliance
threshold, a hand hygiene compliance threshold and a Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) compliance threshold.
The access point may, for example, include one of a building entry,
an emergency exit, a door or hall to a room or zone, an elevator,
and a stair case. At least one of the access points may further
include a health screening sensor for performing a health screen of
a person passing through the access point, wherein the health
screening sensor comprises one or more or a video camera, a thermal
camera and a microphone.
FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative method 90 of
maintaining a level of occupant safety within a building having a
building space, the building space including an occupancy sensor
and one or more air quality sensors, the building space serviced by
a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, each of
the sensors and the HVAC system operably coupled with a building
network. Occupancy signals are received from the occupancy sensor,
as indicated at block 92. Indoor air quality parameter signals are
received from the one or more indoor air quality sensors, as
indicated at block 94. The occupancy signals and the indoor air
quality parameter signals are processed to determine whether action
is needed to maintain the level of safety within the building
space, as indicated at block 96. Responsive to determining that
action is needed, control signals are outputted to the HVAC system
via the building network, as indicated at block 98.
In some cases, the building space may be serviced by a sanitizing
device. The method 90 may further include tracking occupancy data
from the one or more occupancy sensors over time in order to learn
when the building space is expected to not be occupied for a period
of time long enough to sanitize the building space, as optionally
indicated at block 100. A determination may be made that the
building space is not currently occupied, as optionally indicated
at block 102. A determination may be made that a current time
corresponds to when the building space is expected to not be
occupied for a period of time long enough to sanitize the building
space, as optionally indicated at block 104. In some cases, and as
optionally indicated at block 106, instructions may be provided via
the building network to the sanitizing device to proceed with
sanitizing surfaces within the building space. In some cases, a
warning may be issued via the building network that the building
space is currently being sanitized.
FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating relationships
between sensing and corresponding actions. On the far left are
possible inputs 120. As shown, the possible inputs 120 may include
people, as indicated by a people icon 122. The possible inputs 120
may include environmental conditions, as represented by a wind icon
124. In some cases, the possible inputs 120 may include a pathogen,
as indicated by the pathogen icon 126. These possible inputs 120
may be sensed via a sensing section 128. The sensing section 128
may include a smart occupancy sensing block 130 and an
environmental sensing block 132. Possible outputs from the smart
occupancy sensing block 130 may include one or more of occupancy
numbers for a zone, as well as possibly detected symptoms within
the zone such as coughing. Possible outputs from the smart
occupancy sensing block 130 may also include occupancy detection
that might cause lighting to be turned on or off, for example. In
some cases, a degree of hysteresis or a short delay may be
implemented in order to prevent a possible situation in which the
lights turn on and off while a person lingers in the doorway, for
example, which can be hard on lighting equipment and may be
uncomfortable for the person in the doorway. Even if hysteresis is
implemented with respect to lighting control, the smart occupancy
sensing block 130 may immediately report occupancy.
Possible outputs from the environmental sensing block 132 may
include detection of airborne pathogens. Possible outputs from the
environmental sensing block 132 may include any of a variety of
different air quality parameters such as but not limited to
particulate matter (PM), air pressure, temperature, relative
humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, PM2.5, total volatile
organic compound (TVOC) concentration, carbon monoxide
concentration, H2CO (formaldehyde) concentration, and the like.
An actions section 134 includes a number of different possible
actions. It will be appreciated that, as shown, the inputs to
individual blocks within the actions section 134 (the possible
outputs from the sensing section 128) can vary, depending on the
specific actions block. For example, the actions section 134
includes a Microbial Detection and Pathogen Identification block
136 that receives sensed data pertaining to sensed airborne
pathogens. The actions section 134 includes an Occupant-centric
HVAC and UVC Controls block 138. As can be seen, the
Occupant-centric HVAC and UVC Controls block 138 can receive a
number of different inputs, including occupancy data from the Smart
Occupancy Sensing block 130 and a number of air quality parameters
from the Environmental Sensing block 132. The actions section 134
also includes an Alerts/Notifications block 140 and an Occupant
Screening block 142. The Alerts/Notifications block 140 may output
information pertaining to maximum allowed occupancy, physical
distancing between people, contact tracing and compliance to
hygiene standards. The Occupant Screening block 142 may output
information related to touchless or biometric access and detecting
symptoms of illness.
An analytics section 144 includes an Alarms block 146 and a
Predictive Maintenance block 148. Illustrative outputs from the
Alarms block 146 and the Predictive Maintenance block 148 are
listed. A Reports block 150 and a Certification block 152 can
output regulatory reports and data-driven improvement plans,
respectively, as shown. An Alerts/Notifications block 154 can
output information to a dashboard. A Safe UVC Operation block 158
confirms that UVC sterilization only occurs in unoccupied
spaces.
Having thus described several illustrative embodiments of the
present disclosure, those of skill in the art will readily
appreciate that yet other embodiments may be made and used within
the scope of the claims hereto attached. It will be understood,
however, that this disclosure is, in many respects, only
illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in
matters of shape, size, arrangement of parts, and exclusion and
order of steps, without exceeding the scope of the disclosure. The
disclosure's scope is, of course, defined in the language in which
the appended claims are expressed.
* * * * *
References